Is eco-tourism harmful to animals?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 178
Is eco-tourism harmful to animals?
I'm wondering if other Africa addicts have guilt feelings about safaris.....I have mixed emotions about my selfish desire and need and obsession with Africa and seeing and being close to the animals. How can eco-tourism not be stressful for the animals? I realize, on the other hand, that eco-tourism has certainly raised the consciousness of the world to the plight of endangered species, but....
#2
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,074
You pay good money to see the animals, meaning local people can live off you, and not the animals. Plus, there's now an incentive for them to keep the animals alone, alive and well, because that's good business.
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 592
Phernska:
I wouldn't be too concerned about stressing the animals, particularly since there is now no off-road driving in the parks. Most of the animals have adjusted quite well to having tourists around.
The real plus is the tourists extra eyes and ears to report sick or injured animals, report animals seen with snares and indeed keep poachers away. In Amboseli itself very little poaching was done 1970 - 1990 because there were people around watching what was happening. What did happen though was the big Amboseli bulls would cross over into Tanzania where there was a hunting lodge and these big, almost "tame", bulls would be shot.
I would hate to think what wildlife would be like, or how little would be left, were it not for the tourists.
There may well be drawbacks, but I think the pluses outweight the minuses.
Jan
I wouldn't be too concerned about stressing the animals, particularly since there is now no off-road driving in the parks. Most of the animals have adjusted quite well to having tourists around.
The real plus is the tourists extra eyes and ears to report sick or injured animals, report animals seen with snares and indeed keep poachers away. In Amboseli itself very little poaching was done 1970 - 1990 because there were people around watching what was happening. What did happen though was the big Amboseli bulls would cross over into Tanzania where there was a hunting lodge and these big, almost "tame", bulls would be shot.
I would hate to think what wildlife would be like, or how little would be left, were it not for the tourists.
There may well be drawbacks, but I think the pluses outweight the minuses.
Jan
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